The Lady and the Serpent
by CraftyK13
Summary: Odynne Black has known Tom Riddle for the better part of her life and has entered an amicable... partnership... with him. With his murderous side quickly developing as he finds Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, how can she keep denying what she feels for him? Add a few Horcruxes and a secret circle to the mix, what's a poor girl to do? Tom x OC. Mature themes ahead. Reviews welcome.
1. Chapter 1

"Odynne! Come upstairs at once!" called Irma Black forcefully. Odynne, a pale girl just shy of seven got up from her armchair and climbed the steep stairs. At the top of the stairs, a stern woman dressed in fine, black fabrics and jewels stood, tapping her foot impatiently. A dark head peaked out from behind the long gown she wore.

"Would you please enlighten me as to why I found your younger brother screaming with a third degree burn on his hand in the library?" Odynne looked down and kicked her foot, avoiding her mother's glare. "Odynne! Answer me, now!" ordered her mother. Odynne looked up at the cold grey eyes with matching grey ones and said adorably,

"Alphard tried to burn the book I was reading and failed, so I showed him the proper way to burn something." Odynne tucked a stray, black ringlet behind her ear and looked up at her mother with fake innocence. Her mother sighed and pinched her nose.

"Sweetheart, you know you aren't supposed to practice magic on your brother. Only on the house elves, darling."

"Yes, mother," replied Odynne sweetly, as she bounded back down the stairs. Walburga sat in her previously occupied chair with her arms crossed and a severe look on her face.

"I can't believe you got away with using magic on Alphie again. You always get away with magic! It's not fair!" she cried. Odynne shrugged and smirked, sitting on the floor in front of the roaring fire to resume play with her potions set.

* * *

"Look at it, Alphie!" taunted Odynne, waving her new 9-¾ inch rosewood wand. With its stained black surface, intricate silver designs, and onyx jewel at the base, the wand was easily one of the most extravagant wands Ollivander had sold in a long time.

"It looks stupid!" replied Alphard sourly. "Like your face!" Odynne snarled and attempted to hurl a stinging jinx at him, but it only managed to turn his arm a burnt red color. Alphard screeched and turned to hit Odynne in retaliation but was stopped by his father.

"Alphard, do it and I will have your arm severed and hung above your bed," he threatened, his deep voice scaring Alphard into submission. His head was lowered in resignation and he quietly followed his father into the bookshop. Odynne went with her mother and Walburga into Madame Malkin's for her new school robes.

"Ah, Irma! It's a pleasure to see you!" said a young woman, stopping to kiss cheeks with Odynne's mother. "I see that little Walburga has grown and will be needing new school robes, yes?" asked the seamstress. Irma nodded and carefully pushed Odynne forward. The seamstress squealed with delight and hugged the dark-haired child. "My little dove! My, how you've grown! And look, a wand! Oh, you'll be starting Hogwarts this year, which means you'll be needing robes as well!"

"Yes, Miss Malkin," responded Odynne.

"When you're finished taking their measurements, I'll be ready to go through the catalogue, Cassandra," said Irma, taking a seat in one of the plush chairs. Cassandra quickly measured the girls, taking into consideration their possible rate of growth throughout the year. With her notes completed, she lead Irma to the front counter where they compiled a list of things needed for the school year.

"I'll be sure to make their gymslips are form fitting and up to your specifications and their cloaks will be embroidered with the Black family crest, as per usual," said Cassandra, putting the order form on top of the large stack. "I'll have these finished first and they will be owled to the school before the train arrives."

"Much appreciated, Cassandra," said Irma, bidding farewell to the seamstress. Odynne waved at her outside the shop a cute smile on her face. Cassandra waved back, returning the smile. Walburga huffed and walked ahead to meet their father at the entrance to the Owl Emporium.

Inside, Odynne was surrounded by the hoots and squawks of hundreds of different birds and owls. She took her time, taking each one into consideration and making sure to choose the best one available. Turning away from a boisterous barn owl in disgust, she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," the small voice apologized. Odynne looked upon a boy roughly her height with black hair and pale skin like hers. The similarities stopped when she noticed he had deep emerald eyes full of excitement.

"It's all right," said Odynne. "It's rather busy in here as it is. If you add a dozen more people someone's bound to run into someone else," she said kindly. The boy nodded his head in understanding.

"Which one are you going to choose?" he asked suddenly. Odynne shrugged.

"I don't know, I can't decide."

"Well, how about that black eagle owl up there?" he said, pointing on top of the shelf. In a cage was a small black puff of feathers with large, golden eyes flitting about. Odynne smiled and turned to the boy.

"It's perfect! Thank you…?"

"Tom," he said with a grimace. "Tom Riddle."

"Odynne Black," she said, shaking his hand. Tom's lips quirked up in a small grin.

"Are you going to Hogwarts?" he asked. Odynne nodded.

"It's my first year!"

"Mine too. What house do you think you'll get sorted into?"

"Slytherin. My entire family has always been in Slytherin. What about you?"

"I want to be in Slytherin too," he said with great longing. Odynne nodded. She could be friends with him.

"Well, Tom Riddle, I look forward to seeing you on the train!" she said, turning to her father to tell him which owl she wanted. Tom smiled politely and left the shop, the smile slowly turning into a smirk.

* * *

"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat cried loudly. A table to Tom's left burst into applause as he got off the stool and sat next to Odynne. She smiled at him and booed with the rest of her table when the last first year was sorted into Gryffindor. An old man in conservative robes stood up and the room fell silent.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts and to our new students, welcome! I hope you enjoy the year and please eat!" he said with a smile plastered onto his face. He quickly sat down and began to eat with a look of boredom written on his face.

Odynne and Tom began to fill their golden plates with potatoes and ham and rolls and everything else that was within reach. Tom ate three plates full of food before the table was cleared and dessert appeared. Odynne only ate a small portion of cake when Tom had just finished his second helping of pudding.

A few minutes later, the students were dismissed for bed. Following the Slytherin prefects, Tom, Odynne, and the rest of the Slytherin first years descended the many stairs into the dungeons. The prefects stopped in front of a wall and turned to speak to the students.

"The common room can be accessed through this portrait, and this portrait alone. Speak the words 'superbia et ambitio' and the portrait will open," said one of the prefects as the portrait of a large, black snake coiled around a dagger swung open to reveal a room with an odd light.

The students filed inside, in awe of the luxurious common room. The green light that came from the Black Lake gave the room an eerie glow. Black leather couches were adorned with satin throw pillows and blankets. A monstrous fireplace to the left of the common room was the only source of heat and light other than a few strategically placed lamps.

Odynne drank in the dark beauty of her new home and turned to Tom and whispered,

"I think we'll do just fine in here, Tom." Tom looked at her and smirked, nodding slightly.

"I agree."

* * *

**Welcome, dear readers. This came to me Christmas day, when I was listening to the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince score on my new headphones. At about 1:34 into the song Journey to the Cave by Nicholas Hooper, an idea struck. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the idea. I hope you enjoy the road this story takes you and encourage you to leave a review with any questions, concerns, or constructive criticism. Please no hate. **

**Enjoy,**

**CraftyK13**


	2. Chapter 2

"How does it feel to be the most sought after girl in the entire school?" Lucinda Agston asked. Odynne shrugged and flipped her delicate curls over her shoulder.

"I wouldn't know, now would I? Seeing as I'm not the most sought after," she said, pursing her lips in thought. "I'm more like the second." She grinned and continued to write her Potions essay.

"No, really though," Lucinda continued, "the boys here can only talk about two things: Quidditch and you. How do you do it?" she asked, resting her head on her hands. Odynne looked up through her lashes at the petit blonde and sighed, setting down her quill.

"I ignore them all, so I don't see how I could be a popular topic in conversation," she said, crossing her arms and leaning back in the chair. Lucinda pouted, clearly upset that she couldn't get any more information out of the raven-haired beauty. "Besides, I'm not interested in any of them," Odynne said, packing up her parchment and ink. "They're all ignorant pigs who think of nothing but sex and that pathetic excuse of a sport." She put the borrowed books back on the shelf and began weaving her way out of the library. Lucinda followed, trying to hike up her gymslip to make it shorter like Odynne's.

The two girls made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch and sat in their places at the Slytherin table; Lucinda sat by her clique of friends and Abraxas sat across from Odynne, who sat to the right of Tom.

"How was your free period?" Tom asked, putting down his book.

"Productive. I'm nearly finished with my Potions essay and I learned that I am apparently the most sought after girl in this school, only after our dear Lucinda." Odynne said, pouring herself some pumpkin juice. Tom chuckled and spooned some of his soup into his mouth.

"You wish you were the most sought after. I would place you at the bottom, just above Myrtle," he said quietly. Odynne smiled and turned to him.

"I'd put you below her for your sheer stupidity. Anyone with any sort of intelligence would rank me above Thompson, at the very least," she said sweetly, sipping her juice. Tom's mouth twitched upwards into a small smile as he turned to his food. Odynne quickly ate so she could write the conclusion to her essay.

"Don't forget to mention how Diablo's theory about the effects of temperature during the aging period tied in with Lysander's experiments," Tom added, looking over her shoulder. "Slughorn would surely mark you down for forgetting such a _tiny_ detail."

"Oh, yes, thank you," Odynne replied snidely. "As if I could forget. Might I remind you you're only the best in potions by two points."

"Actually I think it's three," Tom bit back, delicately wiping his mouth. Odynne huffed and finished writing the final sentence of her essay.

"All right. Let's go," she said, picking up her books and bag.

"Allow me to take your books," said Tom. Odynne handed him her books and followed him out of the hall. He ducked behind a tapestry and held it open for her.

"Are you any closer to finding the entrance?" Odynne whispered.

"Nearly. I found a detailed journal of Slytherin's and it's been exceedingly useful," he said, a wicked gleam in his eye. "It's saying something about the entrance being hidden in plain sight, but not for all to see. The riddles are quite maddening. I doubt he came up with them by himself; he was an idiot when it came to logistics," he spat, disgust clear in his tone.

"We'll figure it out. In the meantime, I've done some research on the kind of magic it takes to brand someone. It's quite complicated, but I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle," Odynne said, getting a book from her bag and handing it to Tom. "You'll have to draw up some designs first and then practice drawing them with your wand, then you will have to practice the incantations. Because you want to the mark to be multi-functional, you will need to layer the spells and weave them together as you're drawing the mark onto someone."

"Excellent. Thank you, Odynne," Tom purred. He trapped her against the wall by placing his hands on either side of her head. Odynne looked up at him, raising a delicate eyebrow. Tom began trailing kisses up and down her throat, stopping to whisper in her ear. "I don't know why you won't let me into your bed. We could have so much fun together."

"You have to earn it, Tom," Odynne murmured, grabbing his hips and pulling them forward, making him flush against her body. Tom chuckled darkly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't earn anything, my dear, I simply take what I want," he said, moving to her lips. Odynne jerked her head to the side, causing Tom to catch her cheek.

"Uh-uh-uh," she softly chided. Tom growled in frustration. Grabbing his tie, she tugged his head down to whisper in his ear. "Try harder and maybe next time I'll let you." She lightly kissed his cheek and ran her thumb over his bottom lip, then slithered out of his hold.

* * *

Tom looked irritated as he sat down next to her in potions.

"You'll pay for that," he muttered harshly. Odynne laughed softly.

"I don't think I will," she replied, dutifully taking notes of Slughorn's lecture.

"I'll make sure of it," said Tom, copying down her notes in his neat script. Anticipation flooded her body as she waited for Slughorn to release them to make the potion of the day. Potions was her best and favorite class. Ever since she was a child, Odynne had a natural curiosity of the subject. Numerous books and kits were given to her to study and experiment with until she got to school. As a gift, her father built her a lab in the attic of her home, complete with a stocked closet of ingredients. Many experiments were held and Odynne even dabbled in creating her own potions. All attempts had failed thus far.

"Today you'll be brewing a doxy bite antidote," Professor Slughorn said, ending his lecture. "Be mindful of when you add the eucalyptus syrup, as it can turn the potion a bright yellow instead of the burnt orange that it is supposed to be!" he reminded, opening the supply cabinet. Tom looked at Odynne expectantly and she quickly rose to gather the ingredients for the potion.

During the brewing process, Odynne did not neglect to notice Tom's lingering touch whenever she handed him something and vice versa. Although his touch sent shivers down her spine, she controlled her desire and brewed the potion perfectly.

"Almost messed up a few times, did we?" Tom asked mockingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Odynne said quietly. Chuckling, Tom leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I know you feel something for me, Odynne. You can't hide it. You want me to touch you. You want me to kiss you."

"Maybe or maybe not. Even if I do, I still won't let you in my bed," she quipped, leaving the classroom as the bell rang.

The corridors were crowded, as usual, and people never failed to _not_ grope her as she walked to her next class. Even if it was just a mistake or someone else pushed someone into her, Odynne always felt the hands of people on her. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant feeling.

Professor Merrythought's classroom was nearly full when Odynne arrived, Tom in tow. He sat down in the back row, next to Abraxas, who was quietly flirting with a girl from Hufflepuff. Poor soul. Odynne sat across the isle from Tom at desk with Quintus Thickneese, a rugged Slytherin Quidditch player.

"How are you today, Odynne?" he asked smoothly, kissing the top of her knuckles. Odynne placed a pretty blush on her face.

"Better, now that I have seen you," she said demurely, looking up at him through her long eyelashes. Odynne could practically hear Tom's irritation.

"Are you busy this weekend? It's a Hogsmeade weekend and it would delight me if you could accompany me down to the village."

"Of course," she replied. "Can you pick me up at eleven?"

"Yes." Tom coughed next to Odynne. She turned to him, looking at him innocently. He glowered at her until Merrythought started class.

"We will be practicing defensive spells such as _protego_ and _protego maxima_. You've been reading about them for a few days, so I should expect you to know the incantations and wand movements for each," she said and with a wave of her wand, the desks vanished and colorful mats and pillows replaced them. "Partner up and use only minor jinxes and hexes! If I catch you using other spells you will receive detention and lose house points!" she warned as the students paired up.

Tom forcefully grabbed Odynne's arm, likely to leave long, thin, finger-shaped bruises. He dragged her over to the corner of the classroom.

"Why are you going and making plans? We're supposed to look for the Chamber this weekend. It's a perfect opportunity because we won't have anybody snooping around while we're looking," he hissed. Odynne looked at him with her eyes wide.

"You never said _not _to make plans, you just told me what we are going to be doing. Just because I've made plans doesn't mean I still won't help you," she said, hurling a tickling charm at him. Tom blocked it effortlessly and nonverbally and threw _tarantellegra _at her. With a flick of her wand, Odynne diverted its path and made it hit somebody behind her.

"Must you constantly be a thorn in my side?" he asked as he began casting more spells at her.

"It's my great joy in the world," she said, giggling. After thirty minutes of practicing, Professor Merrythought called the class to attention.

"Excellent job, everyone! Now, these spells will appear on your O.W.L.'s in a few months, so make sure you keep at it. Dismissed!" she said. Students filtered out of the classroom and went to their houses. Odynne followed Tom down to the dungeons where they entered the common room through the portrait. They went to the large table in the far right of the common room. No other students lingered in the area once they saw Tom sit at the table.

As the hour drew to a close, Odynne found herself the only female at the table. Surrounded by members of Tom's inner circle, she dismissed herself, knowing that the other men at the table would not accept her presence during the meeting. Tom stood up as she gathered her books and the others did as well, showing respect. Tom caught her wrist and slipped a small square of parchment in her palm. Odynne nodded slightly.

"Good evening boys. I'll see you at dinner, Tom," she said in farewell. Tom sat down as she turned the corner and went down the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

The sound of girls giggling and gossiping filled the fifth years' dorm as Odynne entered. Feeling a headache coming on, she dropped her bag and left the room with a small book in her hands. She went farther into the dormitory corridor until she met a dead end. There, she pulled one of the lamps forward and the wall swung open to reveal a small room with a fireplace and a small sofa. Odynne pushed the door closed and plopped down on the couch. She unfolded the parchment Tom gave her and read his neat handwriting.

_Tomorrow night, one o'clock. Seventh floor corridor_

_Tom_

Odynne threw the parchment in the fire and watched it burn to ash. She would meet Tom tomorrow night, four hours after curfew. Because, really, what else was there to do at this school? With a small smile, she draped her long legs over the arm of the sofa and opened the book to a random page.

* * *

**Hey guys! So, what did you think? I know Tom is going to seem a little strange in the beginning, but his wickedness and evil ways will become apparent soon. **

**A little note about Odynne's name:**

**Odyne is the Greek Goddess of pain and that will snake into the story soon as well. **

**Enjoy,**

**CraftyK13**


	3. Chapter 3

Odynne checked to see if her dorm mates were still sleeping when the clock read 12:45. Satisfied with their current state, she tied her black satin dressing gown around her slim waist and grabbed her wand from the bedside table. She quietly left the dorm and went up the stairs leading to the common room. Odynne exited the common room and stealthily crept up the stairs to the seventh floor.

Once there, she began looking for Tom's lean figure. After several minutes of waiting, Odynne sauntered over to one of the windows overlooking the Black Lake. The moon glittered on the surface of the black water like diamonds. The snow that was almost gone littered the grounds in small piles. The mid-March air was still chilled and seeped through the window, making Odynne shiver and wrap her arms around herself.

"What's this? A Slytherin caught out of bed past curfew," a smooth voice said. "Well, I can't say this surprises me." Long arms snaked around Odynne's body, covering her own arms. Lips met a spot just behind her ear. "If this doesn't deserve punishment, then I don't know what does."

Odynne bit back a moan as Tom began to trail kisses down her throat. As much as she tried to keep up the game of teasing him, she couldn't help tilting her head to give him better access. Feeling his chuckle against her skin made her sigh in pleasure.

"Gotcha," Tom whispered and forcefully spun her so that they were chest-to-chest. She grabbed the lapels of his robe as his kisses began to trail upwards towards her lips. Odynne allowed him to kiss the corner of her mouth before she whispered,

"No."

"Why not? After all, I told you I take what I want," he threatened, lust in his emerald eyes. Odynne was certain the same sheen could be seen in her grey ones, but she simply could not give in; at least not this early in the game.

"If you are so keen to take what you want, then why don't you?" she asked, looking into his eyes. Tom sighed and ran a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair.

"Because it would make me a monster," he said quietly.

"Why don't you just give in?"

"I can't. Not yet." Odynne rested her head on his chest and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"We can be monsters together," she said softly.

"I'm counting on it," Tom whispered. They stood there for a few moments until Tom pulled away and lead Odynne to a blank stretch of wall. A door began to carve itself from the wall slowly and opened.

A roaring fire was the only source of light in the small room and the only pieces of furniture were a bed, sofa, and a bookcase filled with books. It was their escape from the world; the only place they could truly be together. What would happen if Odynne's father heard of her fraternizing with Tom Riddle, the boy who had no family, no obvious connection to the Wizarding World? No information regarding his blood status? Odynne and everyone else knew that he was pureblood, but his last name sounded so _muggle_.

Tom pulled her inside and closed the door behind them, leading her to the colossal four-poster bed draped in black hangings. The sheets were black satin, just as they always were and the only hint of color was the green in the small, satin pillow that sat in front of all of the other black ones.

Being as close as the two Slytherins were for so long, Odynne was not bothered at the thought of sharing a bed with Tom. They'd done it so often that it was a safe haven for her, to fall asleep in his arms and wake up in the same way. As much as she taunted and teased, Odynne could not stand to be without him. Tom had been there for her ever since they met in the owl emporium; getting rid of any unwanted male attention, getting her out of trouble with teachers, and being the only person she could trust.

Pulling her out of her thoughts, Tom undid the tie on her dressing gown and pushed it off of her shoulders so the satin fell to the floor. Standing in a revealing, floor-length nightgown, Odynne repeated the actions on his own dressing gown. He got into the bed and moved over so there was enough room for her to slide in next to him. She did so and rested her head on his shoulder and her hand over his heart while his arms wrapped around her. The hangings slowly closed around them, leaving the two in darkness while they slept.

* * *

The rest of the week quickly passed until Saturday dawned upon the students at Hogwarts, meaning a Hogsmeade visit. Odynne shifted around in bed, trying not to wake Tom, but his arms tightened around her, pulling her back to his body.

"Trying to get away from me so quick? I don't think so," he said groggily. Odynne smiled and kissed his nose.

"I need to get up, Tom, it's almost eleven. I have to ditch Quintus so we can go search the castle, remember?" Tom's lips quirked into a smirk at the reminder.

"Oh, yes. How could I have forgotten? What excuse will you be feeding him? Detention? Homework? You could always just say that I've kidnapped you and require a ransom of several million galleons."

"I would, but he could easily supply the galleons and your kidnapping would be cut short," Odynne quipped, grinning. Tom was always funnier in the mornings.

"It's as if you don't know me at all, my dear," Tom said, his green eyes twinkling with mirth. "I'd take the ransom and you, then leave the country. You must remember that I am quite the master when it comes to schemes and lies and, yes, kidnappings. Don't you remember third year?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Odynne laughed and the sound made Tom smile.

"Your first attempt at kidnapping me. I don't think it worked out so well, seeing as I still had to go on that date with Abraxas."

"Well, first attempts are never perfect," he said.

"But I really must go and ditch him," Odynne said, trying to get out of Tom's grasp. He rolled her over so that he was hovering her, his arms caging her in.

"Or I could just keep you prisoner here all day. Now that I really would not mind," he said, chuckling.

"That would be most unwise, Mr. Riddle. You see, I have plans to find a very, very old and secret chamber and I know you want to as well."

"You're right. You've put the world into perspective for me. I can't believe that I was going to trap a worthless girl in my bed when I can find Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets. You have truly opened my eyes," he said mockingly. He got off of her and out of bed. Odynne stayed where she was and watched him stretch.

Tom was an entire head taller than her, putting him at an even six feet tall. He was slim, but had muscle from whatever he did during the summer. Odynne had seen him almost naked several times, and he certainly didn't disappoint.

"See something you like?" Tom asked, not bothering to look at her. Odynne smirked and stood up behind him, slowly, teasingly, moving her hands up his back to rest on his shoulders.

"Mm, yes I do," she said, tauntingly. Odynne could feel Tom's muscles stiffen as she lightly raked her nails down his back. She trailed them around his body so that she ended up in front of him, her hands toying with the waistband of his pants. Looking directly into his eyes, she licked her lips slowly and then took the matching shirt from his hands. Odynne put it around his shoulders and he put his arms through the shirt, watching her as she leisurely buttoned it up. "These pajamas are very nice," she finally said, boldly running her hands up and down his torso, feeling the softness of the satin and the hardness of Tom's muscles as she did so. Tom's eyes narrowed and he growled in her ear.

"Tease." Odynne snickered.

"I know," she replied as she slipped on her robe and left Tom standing alone and aroused.

Odynne made her way down to the dungeons and into the common room without any trouble, claiming the girl's bathroom so she could shower. After styling her hair, Odynne sifted through her wardrobe, finding some trousers and a dark blue jumper. She dressed quickly and entered the common room to find Quintus at the fireplace, his arm on the mantle. Allowing tears to fill her eyes and gracefully fall down her face, Odynne approached him. He turned to her, smiling, but the smile dropped the moment he saw the tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely worried. Odynne let more tears fall down her cheeks and allowed a sob to escape.

"I've just gotten an owl from home; my great-aunt Isla has passed away," she choked out. Quintus looked at her pityingly and wrapped her in his big arms. Odynne 'sobbed' into his chest.

"My heart goes out to you and your family. I am truly sorry," he said, his voice rumbling in his chest like Tom's did. "Do you want me to stay with you?" Odynne looked up at him and gave him a watery smile.

"No, it's all right, Quintus, go enjoy the village. I think I just need to be alone today."

"If you're sure. Take all the time you need," he said and kissed her forehead. Odynne turned and fled from the common room and went to the library where she knew Tom would be, hidden in an alcove near the Restricted Section.

"How did it go?" he asked, standing to greet her. Odynne smiled and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

"It seems that I have killed off one of my relatives," she said, picking a stray piece of lint off of her sweater. "Oops," she said, shrugging. Tom laughed heartily and pulled her down to sit on his lap.

"You never cease to amaze me," he said, pulling Slytherin's journal out of his pocket and opening it up. "Now, it says here that the entrance is 'hidden in plain sight, but not for all to see', which would mean that it's in an obvious place but not where everyone would see it." Odynne leaned against his shoulder and took the book from Tom.

"He's segregating the entrance, only allowing a certain crowd access to it, making it harder to find. That could mean common rooms, bathrooms, teacher offices, and the library," Odynne said, scribbling it down on a piece of parchment.

"I don't think he would have hidden the entrance in a teacher's office. They would have found it ages ago, seeing as they spend almost all of their time in it," Tom said, crossing it off of the list.

"That leaves common rooms, bathrooms, and the library. But the library is so big," Odynne said. "If Slytherin wanted his heir to find the Chamber, he wouldn't put it somewhere so big, so grand. It would be tucked away somewhere so that the heir would be in a secluded area when he accessed the Chamber."

"Which means that common rooms are off of the list as well. So, bathrooms are the only places left."

"Slytherin wouldn't put the entrance in the boy's bathroom; it's too obvious. Even he wasn't that stupid," Odynne said. She wrote down all of the girls' bathrooms in the school, including the prefects' bath. That made nine bathrooms in total.

"We can cross off the prefects' bath because there is a large possibility that Slytherin's heir would not be a prefect, making it near impossible for the Chamber to be found," Tom noted. Odynne crossed it off of the list, leaving eight possible entrances to the Chamber of Secrets.

"How would we open the Chamber once we found the entrance?"

"Since the Chamber belonged to Slytherin, he would make sure his heir would be the only one able to access it. Slytherin was a Parseltongue, which would make his heir one as well. It would be something simple like 'open' or 'reveal', because that's all Slytherin would be able to remember," Tom said, scoffing at his ancestor's stupidity.

"And you know how to speak those words?" Odynne asked, looking at him, doubtful. Tom put his lips to her ear and made a series of harsh hissing noises, sending shivers down her spine. Oddly, she enjoyed the sound. Maybe even a little too much. "So, we'll go to each bathroom and have you speak the words and see what happens."

She got off of Tom's lap and they headed to the bathroom on the library floor. Odynne made sure the bathroom was empty before she let Tom in and locked the door.

"I might have to say it several times around the room to get the sound to reach everywhere," he said. Odynne nodded and stood back, watching him work. For the next few minutes, Tom went around the bathroom speaking Parseltongue. When their search turned up empty, they went to the next bathroom and the next until they only had one left.

Tom was clearly irritated; he wanted to find the Chamber so he could begin his work of cleansing the school, but Slytherin had made it so damn hard to find it! Tom had been working on finding the Chamber for over two years, using Slytherin's journal to weed out all of the other places. It was written in an archaic form of English that needed to be decoded and that took Tom several months to do. After that, Tom read the journal cover to cover in hopes of finding a hint. He had only just discovered the 'hidden in plain sight' clue, written in archaic Latin, backwards, in the bottom corner of a page.

Odynne noticed Tom's anger and tugged on his arm, dragging him to an empty classroom on the second floor. She led him over to a desk and sat on it, intertwining their fingers.

"We'll find the Chamber, I promise," she whispered. "Don't lose hope." Odynne put her hand on Tom's cheek, rubbing her thumb across his cheekbone. He grasped her hand and kissed her palm.

"I know we will. It's only a matter of time before we do, but I need to find it soon so I can continue his work of cleansing the school of Mudbloods," he said, snarling on the last word. Odynne looked at Tom fondly.

"And we shall. We'll do it together. Come on, we have one more bathroom to check and I'm positive this will be it. We'll find the Chamber and Slytherin's monster. Then, together, we'll get rid of those who have stolen magic and will finally have a pure society." Tom's lips curled into a cruel smile and rested his forehead against Odynne's.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said, a devilish gleam in his eyes. Odynne could feel desire prickling in her body. It took all of her strength to _not_ kiss him as she felt his arms wrap around her and feel his strong thighs in-between her legs. Her breathing sped up and she knew he could hear it. Whenever Tom got into one of his murderous moods, Odynne was instantly aroused; the power she knew Tom felt never failed to turn her on. She enjoyed the hold he had over her, the dominance over her submission. Even when she teased him, Tom still held the power to take her if he wanted to; Tom _allowed _her to tease him. It was a delicious contradiction that lighted a fire in Odynne. She could only imagine his mood when they would find the Chamber. She wasn't sure if she could deny him any longer; she'd been denying him for five, almost six years. He was surely close to snapping.

Tom's hands began to wander on the outside of her thighs, pulling her forward and wrapping her legs around his hips. Odynne could feel how hard he was and almost moaned out loud at the contact. His hands crept up her jumper and left a burning fire in their wake. He pulled her heaving chest to his and wrapped his arms around her, trailing his lips up and down her throat. She grasped his biceps for dear life and prayed to Merlin for strength.

Odynne suddenly threw her head back and gasped loudly when she felt Tom's tongue flick out at her pulse. He gently teased the skin of her throat with his teeth and tongue until he got to her ear.

"You will give in to me," he growled.

"Yess," Odynne gasped. She locked eyes with his intense gaze as he lowered his head just above her lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation when she felt his hot breath on her mouth. Her lips parted on their own and she felt his lips ghost over hers before they were gone all together. Odynne groaned at the loss of contact. "Please," she begged. A low chuckle rumbled in Tom's chest.

"No," he whispered, breaking away and dropping Odynne on the desk. He watched her trembling body in amusement. Odynne gasped for breath and tried to control her heart rate.

"Who's…who's the tease now?" she gasped, watching Tom watch her. He smirked.

"Consider this punishment for what you did to me the other day…and this morning," he mused, playing with his lower lip.

"I think I need more punishment," she said, sitting up. "I don't think I've gotten the message quite yet," she said, challenging him. Tom's rich laughter filled the classroom.

"You wish. Come, we have a Chamber to find," he said, leaving the classroom for her to follow. With a burning desire for Tom, Odynne followed him to the first-floor girl's bathroom.

* * *

**Hehe, I love a murderous Tom too. I'm experimenting with this story with all the _close encounters_ and want to make sure they aren't too awkward or just horrible. I would appreciate some feedback on this because the scenes will only get steamier from here. **

**Also, I have created a Facebook page (Craftyk13 on FFnet) in case any of you want to look at some pictures that have inspired the characters or the settings for this story. The pictures will be in albums labelled with the title of the story, so they're pretty easy to find. **

**Enjoy, **

**CraftyK13**


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